Def Leppard, Tesla, Styx Announce Summer Tour

Courtesy of Gitte Meldgaard via defleppard.com

Def Leppard is headed on a 48-date tour this summer, which will feature special guests Styx and Tesla. The tour will kick off in Tampa (Florida) on June 23rd, and it will conclude on October 4th in Bismarck (North Dakota). Tickets for the shows will go on sale February 20th, and Citi Private Pass Program members will be able to purchase tickets on February 18th.

Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott spoke to Billboard magazine about hitting the road with Styx and Tesla. “We’ve toured with both of these bands before. Styx is a great bunch of guys and as American as mom’s apple pie all the way through,” Elliott told Billboard magazine. He continued, “We had Tesla on board when we did the Hysteria tour back in 1987. They were out for at least six or seven months with us before they went off to do their thing. So it’ll be a great time on stage and backstage.” Elliott said it was important for Def Leppard to take a well-known band with them on the road. “Nobody’s going to go see Tesla and Styx and not know who they are. They’re going to say, ‘I know all those guys and all those songs. That’s a show I want to see,'” Elliott said.

The band plans on having their album complete some time soon, possibly before they head out on tour. Elliott said fans can expect the album to sound familiar to Def Leppard’s signature sound. “The album sounds like Def Leppard, but it sounds like Def Leppard stretching their wings a little bit. There are a couple of songs tied to our DNA, instantly recognizable as us, and some of the stuff that’s not so much like that. [Some of the songs] represent who we are now,” Elliott told Billboard magazine. The rocker said the band members are all in their mid-50s, and so the fans should not expect an album full of party songs. “We’re more in the Queen [rock band] ballpark where you can have a slow thing and you can have a full-on rock song on the same record and they go side-by-side,” Elliott explained.

Def Leppard initially planned on releasing their new album in the spring, but they decided it was best to wait and release a high-quality project. The rocker said Def Leppard has always been known for delivering the best product to their fans, and that’s the way it will always be. Fans should expect a new Def Leppard album some time this year.

Brillion Williams is an avid entertainment writer, particularly in the realm of music, sports, television, and film. Williams first started writing professionally as the founder and editor of Brillion-A-Million.